A marriage license was issued to Levi Healy and Josh Hufford at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's Office, Friday morning, June 26, 2014. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Attorney General John Suthers wants to have legal proceedings involving same sex marriage in Colorado suspended while related cases move through the appellate process.

"We are continuing to defend state law but we are being good lawyers and recognizing that the 10th Circuit case applies in Colorado and that this fight is not going to take place in the state court in Colorado or the federal district court. The defense of this case is going to talk place in the appellate court," he said Thursday.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, Suthers, in coordination with Gov. John Hickenlooper, asked the judge to halt proceedings in the case until a higher court rules on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to strike down Utah's ban on gay marriage. As part of the request, Suthers asked that a stay be put in place, ensuring that county clerks do not begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until a higher court makes a ruling.

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"We hope and believe that if granted, today's motion will help end the divisive, costly, and now unnecessary litigation regarding same-sex marriage in Colorado," Solicitor General Dan Domenico said in a statement. "In other words, the legal debate about this question will be suspended in Colorado as we await finality from the 10th Circuit or U.S. Supreme Court."

On Tuesday, six Colorado couples filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to declare the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. The lawsuit named Hickenlooper, Suthers and clerks from Denver and Jefferson counties. All joined in the request to stop the proceedings Wednesday.

"This is an important step that gets all Coloradans closer to receiving the same legal rights and opportunities," Hickenlooper said in a statement. "We understand there is frustration with the lengthy judicial process, but waiting until the legal process is finished will ensure that marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples are not clouded by uncertainty."

The attorney general's office also said it would file a similar motion in an ongoing lawsuit in Adams County involving couples from Adams and Denver. In that case, nine couples have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to overturn the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage. A stay in that case essentially would stop the judge from issuing a ruling.

Ralph Ogden, who represents one of the couples in the Adams County lawsuit, said Suthers' requests for a stay was an effort to delay a resolution on the issue.

"(Suthers) is not conceding anything," Ogden said.

If the case is allowed to move forward, Ogden said he expected a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court by early next year. Waiting for a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court could take up to two years, he said.

Domenico, however, said the request to halt the proceedings is a solution that "recognizes the reality of the legal landscape Colorado finds itself in at this moment."

The motions do not address the decision by Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall to issue same-sex marriage licenses before a higher court rules on the issue.

Suthers has not yet taken any legal action to stop Hall from issuing the licenses, despite several letters threatening to do so.

Suthers' options for moving forward are few and simple, said Jennifer Hendricks, a professor at the University of Colorado's law school. She said the easiest and most likely step would be to ask a Boulder District Court judge to order Hall to follow state law until a court declares Colorado's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

Carolyn Tyler, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said the AG's office hopes Hall will stop issuing the licenses and consider joining Suthers and clerks from Denver and Jefferson county in asking for a stay.

Hall and Boulder County Attorney Ben Pearlman say the stay applies only to Utah and not other states — including Colorado — within the 10th U.S. Circuit Court .

Suthers, however, argues the stay affects all six states in the district and any marriage licenses issued before the stay is lifted are invalid.

On Tuesday, Hall ignored a noon deadline to stop issuing the licenses and rejected a proposal to file a joint request to the Colorado Supreme Court to decide whether Hall has the legal authority to issue the licenses.